An improbable cocktail of motorcycle, gunplay and tenderness that moves as much as it challenges. The demanding driving can frustrate, but the emotion and style leap off the screen.
Your verdict
Category
Action Adventure1 player16+
Description
A motorvania from Brainwash Gang published by Headup Games, out on Switch in 2024. You play a coyote mother crossing a western desert on a motorcycle, chaining stunts, 360-degree shooting and reloading via backflip. A mature tale of vengeance, grief and motherhood, elevated by a soundtrack from Beicoli.
Laika: Aged Through Blood review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
MAX
Story
★★★★★
"Masterful"
A twilight western with a razor-sharp line, the game composes an anthropomorphic desert of memorable visual identity. Saturated colors, bold silhouettes and cinematic staging serve a story whose every frame could be a poster.
The soundtrack, by the band Beicoli, is a centerpiece: melancholy indie rock and sung tracks of rare intensity wed the tale of grief and vengeance. The music doesn't decorate the action, it carries it emotionally from end to end.
A disenchanted western, the script follows a mother willing to do anything to avenge her people, never lapsing into black-and-white: torturers and victims trade roles across a tale of grief and inheritance. The dialogue, harsh and reserved, lends real tragic weight to this motorcycle road movie.
The bosses are fought on the motorcycle, mid-acrobatics: aiming in 360 degrees, reloading with a backflip, dodging to the millimeter over rough terrain. Spectacular and demanding, they distill the whole thrill of drive-and-shoot into duels of rare tension.
An underrated gem
An improbable marriage of motorcycle, gunplay and melodrama, this indie gem stands out for its raw emotion and cutting style. Too quiet at launch, it deserves discovery for its boldness and unforgettable soundtrack.
A questionable morality
The game never glorifies the revenge it depicts: every retaliation feeds a cycle of violence that consumes a mother as much as her enemies. Grief, the passing of hatred to one's children and the price of blood are laid bare without indulgence, leaving a deliberate unease.
